Can cats diet affect my allergies?

Rev

I’m sure I read somewhere that changing a cats diet can have an affect on allergies suffered by the cats owner.

Is that true? Or just another one of those made up internet things?

Reason I ask is this week I’ve re-developed an allergy to my 14 year old cat. I’ve had him since he was two weeks old, hand reared him. He was one of two surviving kittens from a feral cat litter. When he was around 4 months old I developed an allergy to him, but not my other cat. My eyes get itchy and start streaming, chest gets tight, hands itch etc etc. I dosed up on anti histamines etc and over a few months it lessened then went, he also moved on to better food as I learnt a lot about pet food when he was a kitten.

Only thing that’s changed is his food. I swapped him from zooplus Portia 21 to Anden Grange grain free. No change in his wet food.

I had two cats so would buy the 10kg Portia 21 from zooplus but switched to Arden grange when the Portia ran out as it’s easier to get and smaller bags, so easier to keep fresh etc etc. And 10kg is a lot for one cat to get through!:rotfl:

Basically I’m wondering if the change in dry food has changed his dander and is in turn causing my allergies to reappear?

Or am I being completely ridiculous and it’s just a coincidence?

I don’t generally suffer with allergies or asthma. I suffer with polymorphous light eruption but not dust mites or any other animals etc etc.

Anyone she’d any light?

ka7e

It doesn't seem a daft assumption to me! We often comment on how a food will improve a coat etc, so it seems sensible different foods will affect the skin/dander. It may also affect the cat's saliva, so that when they wash themselves, different allergens are spread all over the fur. Does your cat have regular dentals? I had big problems with a cat that had persistent gum inflammation and I started reacting to him - presumably his saliva was the trigger.

Rev

ka7e wrote: »

It doesn't seem a daft assumption to me! We often comment on how a food will improve a coat etc, so it seems sensible different foods will affect the skin/dander. It may also affect the cat's saliva, so that when they wash themselves, different allergens are spread all over the fur. Does your cat have regular dentals? I had big problems with a cat that had persistent gum inflammation and I started reacting to him - presumably his saliva was the trigger.

Touch wood he’s never needed one. He has regular check ups at the vet as he has allergies so can over groom. The vet said his teeth for his age are surprisingly good and didn’t feel he needed a dental. They were checked around three weeks ago.

I’ll change his food back to the portia and see if it changes if not then I know it’s just my allergies. I’ve stocked up anti histamines. Eye drops. Eye baths etc.

sheramber

Could you be reacting to the food ( when you feed him) rather than the cat?

Rev

sheramber wrote: »

Could you be reacting to the food ( when you feed him) rather than the cat?

No it’s definitely him. When he comes to sit on/with me and wants attention within a few minutes my eyes are itching like crazy and my chest starts to get tight.

I’m not bothered by the allergy as such, i’ll just do what I did last time and dose up on anti histamines. Just if it could be his food then it’s an easy fix. If that’s nonsense that I’ve imagined then obviously changing his food won’t matter.

Savvy_Sue

Someone posted the other day about some wipes you could use on a cat or dog's coat which helped a partner's allergies. If I find the thread or post I'll come back ...

sheramber

Well, if it only started when you changed the food it would be worth changing back to see if it stopped.

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Someone posted the other day about some wipes you could use on a cat or dog's coat which helped a partner's allergies. If I find the thread or post I'll come back ...

It was a recommendation for Petalcleanse by Slinky.

Could be worth a try if you want to keep using the new food, although it might be good to change the food and then use the Petalcleanse even if it works, before re-changing the food ...

Rev

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

It was a recommendation for Petalcleanse by Slinky.

Could be worth a try if you want to keep using the new food, although it might be good to change the food and then use the Petalcleanse even if it works, before re-changing the food ...

Thanks. I’ll change his food back to the porta. And grab some wipes.

Fire_Fox

I posted a few weeks ago about possible links between pets diet, human diet and respiratory symptoms.

There is some published research linking human diet with symptoms of asthma/ eczema/ hayfever. AFAIK the 'evidence' linking pets diet to human symptoms is anecdotal.

But too much in mainstream veterinary medicine doesn't have the evidence base of human equivalents. Logic and anecdotes is actually good going.

If you are wanting to compare the foods, you might start with the long chain omega-3 (fish oil) content, amount and type of grains/ cereals. These potentially affect the gut flora, oral flora, function of the skin barrier, systemic inflammation levels.

Rev

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I posted a few weeks ago about possible links between pets diet, human diet and respiratory symptoms.

There is some published research linking human diet with symptoms of asthma/ eczema/ hayfever. AFAIK the 'evidence' linking pets diet to human symptoms is anecdotal.

But too much in mainstream veterinary medicine doesn't have the evidence base of human equivalents. Logic and anecdotes is actually good going.

If you are wanting to compare the foods, you might start with the long chain omega-3 (fish oil) content, amount and type of grains/ cereals. These potentially affect the gut flora, oral flora, function of the skin barrier, systemic inflammation levels.

Thanks. I did spend a while googling before making the thread but only found articles pertaining to the cats allergies being affected by food and not mine when changing his food.

I always feed him grain free food as he’s allergic to cereals.

The ingredients for the Arden grange are

Fresh chicken (26%), potato (26%), chicken meat meal (25%), pea starch, chicken oil, egg powder, chicken digest, krill, yeast extract, malt extract, pea fibre, minerals, prebiotic FOS, prebiotic MOS, cranberry extract, glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, nucleotides, rosemary extract.

And the Porta 21 are

Poultry meat meal (64%), chicken meat (9.15%), chicken fat, dried potatoes, brewer's yeast, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), cellulose, MOS (mannan-oligosaccharides), FOS (fructo-oligosaccharide), dried cranberries, green tea extract.

I’m going to swap him back to the porta anyway just in case it is that.